Press Release Article

STATEMENT OF PORT AUTHORITY CHAIRMAN DAVID SAMSON ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ON ALLEGATIONS OF WRONGDOING IN THE PAPD

Date: May 14, 2012Press Release Number: 68-2012

I have been very concerned over the recent allegations of wrongdoing in the Port Authority Police Department. On behalf of the entire Board of Commissioners, I have asked the senior executive leadership of the Port Authority to immediately conduct a full and thorough investigation of all wrongdoing and—while protecting the rights of any accused—to take swift action to discipline or prosecute those who may have broken the law or code of conduct of the police department. We have made clear that we want this investigation to follow wherever the trail leads.

As a former Attorney General of New Jersey, I know that only the swift and immediate rooting out of this type of behavior will result in permanent culture change in the PAPD. The Board takes these allegations very seriously because—if true—they indicate a failure of organizational leadership at the police department and they undercut our efforts to reinforce our security investments and tailor our organization to meet current threats.

The Port Authority Police Department has a proud history and one that is leading every day to protect our consumers and travelers on our bridges and tunnels, at our airports, at our bus terminals, our ports, and the World Trade Center. They protect some of the most vulnerable targets in the world. We will not allow a few bad actors to damage the reputation of a cornerstone of our security efforts.

The Board is committed to changing the way this agency does business. This is what led the Board to retain former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to review our security and police operations. His recommendation to bring in a new chief security officer will allow us to further change the culture that may have led to this shocking case.

The board has full confidence that our executive management team will swiftly take action in this case and expects immediate consequences to all those who are complicit in this situation.

CONTACT: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Steve Coleman, 212 435-7777

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which does not receive tax dollars from either state, operates many of the busiest and most important transportation links in the region. This includes John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia, Stewart International and Teterboro airports; AirTrain JFK and AirTrain Newark; the George Washington Bridge and Bus Station; the Lincoln and Holland tunnels; the three bridges between Staten Island and New Jersey; the PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) rapid-transit system; Port Newark; the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal; the Howland Hook Marine Terminal on Staten Island; the Brooklyn Piers/Red Hook Container Terminal; the Port Authority-Port Jersey Marine Terminal and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan. The agency also owns the 16-acre World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan.